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Frequently Asked Questions

For 2016 True Dungeon will be hosted at the Gen Con in Indianapolis, IN from August 4-7th, 2016. Gen Con is the world's oldest and largest game convention, and True Dungeon is its premier event.

You must obtain a convention 1-Day or 4-Day Badge either by purchasing one or by earning one through volunteering. Badges and hotel reservations usually go on sale in January.

Once you have a Badge, you can buy True Dungeon event tickets online starting in May. Tickets are usually all taken within a few hours of opening, but some do get refunded in June and July as people cancel plans to attend Gen Con.

Q. Okay...nice story...but what is the philosophy behind True Dungeon™?

The decision was made early on that since we were given a big enough budget to make an actual walkthrough dungeon, we needed to do as much as we could to immerse the players into our 3D dungeon. We wanted players to experience some of those classic D&D moments that before only their characters got to enjoy. For instance, we thought, "What about rogues? Wouldn't be cool if the player with the rogue character actually got to feel what it was like to disarm an actual trap -- instead of just rolling a d20? Wouldn't it be so cool if the rogue got to feel his pulse pound and his palms sweat as he careful manipulated a device with HIS hands -- knowing full well that failure to disarm the trap might have a somewhat painful (or shocking) result?"

With True Dungeon™, we seek to immerse players within the old-fashion D&D module and let them feel what the stress of combat can do to their coordination, how hard it must be for wizards to remember all those mystical teachings, how difficult it must be for clerics to know all the tenets of their faith, and how invaluable it can be to recall the meaning on an ancient glyph.

True Dungeon's™ goal is to transport you into another world for a few hours. There you will find out how well YOU stack up against the adventure. You will find out how well you respond to the challenges that are laid before you, while experiencing some of the classic D&D moments from your past.

Q. How do I get tickets for True Dungeon?

Tickets are made available online each year in May on the Gen Con website. We don't have access to any tickets. In order to buy tickets on that day in May you must have a Gen Con badge already purchased. Once your badge is purchased, you can talk with your friends and see how many want to play True Dungeon because unlike most events at Gen Con, one registered badge holder can purchase up to ten tickets in one or more slots of ten tickets.

WARNING: True Dungeon tickets sell out VERY fast...and the process can be a little crazy. You must be logged in and ready to buy your tickets at the exact time tickets are available in order to get tickets that first day. A few days later a handful of tickets become available as people refund TD tickets that they grabbed but no longer want.

Q. How much does it cost to play True Dungeon and what do you get with the ticket?

In 2016 the ticket price should be $54 for a two-hour adventure. This price includes your admission to the event, a free pack of ten random Treasure Tokens, a limited-edition quest Treasure Token, a limited-edition button and some Adventure Coins that can be redeemed for various prizes. And yes...$54 for a ticket at first glance seems pretty expensive, but the thousands of gamers scramble every year to get tickets at that price so the price is tolerable by many happy gamers. There is nothing like True Dungeon in the entire world, and it is a very expensive event to present with 250 volunteers who require badges, hotel rooms, food, beverages, etc., and the event has things like animatronic dragons and giants. The event sells out quickly every year so the organizers know they could charge much more for the event, but they have always tried to keep the cost as low as possible.

Q. Can you give anything more specific about your rules?

When you attack a monster in a True Dungeon™ adventure, you will not be rolling a d20. Rather, you will be given a target on something like a shuffleboard, and your nerves will be tested as your sliding piece must come to rest within certain areas of the shuffleboard in order to hit the monster. It's a really cool way to resolve combat as your coordination and nerves will be tested, as well as your battle smarts because all attacks are made before any hits are determined. It is possible to bump a team members to hit disc out of a non-hit area and into a hit area. This is to simulate the chaos of battle, and how combatants can affect each other's attack. Damage is determined by a method that is determined by which side of the player's sliding disc is nearest a marker. It makes for some very exciting combats.

Every character class has a special, real world test that they must perform in order to do their jobs. Fighters have the job of being smart and accurate on the combat table, rangers must be able to slide two discs at once effectively, clerics must be able to recall which spell focus item is best for a spell or turning, wizards must be able to recall where a plane of existence is the located to best power a particular spell, rogues must have good nerves and steady hands to pick locks and to disarm traps, and bards will have the chance to recall the meaning of ancient glyphs that are found in the dungeon.

It is pretty darn cool – especially when you consider this is an all-volunteer effort, and that we have very little time to set up the event onsite. We work on the event's sets and props all year long, so we are pretty proud of the immersive environment we provide -- given the amount of time we have to set it all up at Gen Con Indy. Also, please keep in mind that a tremendous amount of labor was donated by many people to bring you this event, so please thank your DM when you get the chance.

Check out this Intro video that gives you an idea of what you can expect.

Q. Is this a popular thing?

You bet!! We are surprised and humbled every year by the increasingly awesome responses from our players. The very first True Dungeon™ in 2003 played host to around 400 players in an 8,000 sqft. space... at GenCon in 2015 over 8,200 adventurers met our diabolical puzzles and faced our monsters in a 40,000 s.f. exhibit hall.

Q. Are there any prizes?

All players get a button proclaiming their victory (or demise!) to wear at GenCon, as well as XP and treasure.

Yes...use the restroom before your event starts. If you have to leave because of needing to use the restroom, you will be disqualified from the event. Our motto is..."If you gotta go...you gotta go". We simply do not have the personnel to allow bathroom breaks. Also, wear comfortable shoes as you will be standing up for a long period of time, although we have sprinkled in some sit down puzzles. Arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of your start time to fill out paperwork and to get to know your team members. Also, don't play the rogue if you are afraid of some "penalties" for not disarming traps!

Q. How difficult will the True Dungeon™ module be?

Pretty tough. While not in the league with "The Tomb of Horrors", we have fashioned a very challenging adventure. It is quite possible that you will die before you reach the end of the adventure. We want it to be an accomplishment if a team makes it all the way through the dungeon, so you will have something to brag about if you get through this one. There are various difficulty levels - from "Non-Lethal" to "Nightmare". If your party agrees by unanimous vote to play on "Nightmare" mode, the challenges you face will be much harder... but you'll get more XP and treasure if you manage to survive! Make your choice wisely.

Q. What happens if my character dies?

Well, this may sound bad, but if your character dies... they're dead! You may choose to continue on as a ghost (and possibly be resurrected!), but you will be unable to help the party with combat or puzzles unless, of course, one of them has the ability to speak to the dead. No refunds will be given, so be careful!

Q. What is this about signing a waiver?

All participants will be required to sign a liability waiver in order to play in True Dungeon. Nothing horrible will happen to you, but you might get a mild electric shock, get squirted with some water, be very startled, hear a loud sound or have your brains scrambled by a difficult puzzle.

Q. What characters will be used?

In 2015 we will be providing 4th level character (5th level with certain powerful magic items), and each party consists of ten players from the following 12 classes: fighter, barbarian, monk, ranger, cleric, druid, wizard, rogue, paladin, elf wizard, dwarf fighter and bard. More info can be found HERE.

Q. What is this about True Experience Points and ratings?

This part is pretty cool. Depending on how far you make it through the module, YOU will earn True Experience Points for yourself…not a specific character. All True Adventure events give you XP, and as you go up levels you get certain benefits like access to a special forum section at 5th level. More info can be found HERE.